Latest news with #JeffLusk
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Work is continuing on two-state connector route
bramwell — Officials with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority are hoping to finish construction in the near future on a new connector route that will link the West Virginia-based trail system with neighboring Virginia. Once it is completed, riders from the Virginia-side Spearhead Trail system in Tazewell County would be able to cross the state line and connect with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system in Mercer County. Riders of the Hatfield-MCoy system also would be able to connect with the Virginia trail. The connector route will extend approximately eight miles and is an extension of the existing Pocahontas Trail system in Mercer County. Work on the connector route began last year, but it is not yet finished, according to Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority Executive Director Jeff Lusk. 'We haven't gotten it open yet,' Lusk said. 'We've got to wait for some timbering to be done. But we do intend to get that open. It will be a plus for both areas. It will be a plus for Spearhead and for us.' Lusk said sections of the connector route have been completed, but other sections won't be ready until timbering in the area is completed. 'We have built sections of it,' Lusk saidte. 'There are just sections of it that can't be completed yet. It is our full intention to get that done and get it open as soon as possible. There is just some timbering work going on.' Lusk said the Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority will be able to sell even more ridership permits once the Virginia-side riders are able to cross over into the West Virginia trail system. The connector route will essentially link both states and trails together. It will begin near Bramwell in Mercer County and end at the Virginia state line in Tazewell County. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority had to work with several land companies to secure license agreements for the new connector route. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail system currently operates more than a thousand miles of trail and 10 trail systems, including the Pocahontas trail in Mercer County and the Indian Ridge trail in McDowell County. The neighboring Spearhead Trail system in Virginia also extends through multiple Southwest Virginia counties. It is operated by the Southwest Virginia Regional Recreational Authority and will connect with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system near Boissevain in Tazewell County. While riders of both trail systems will be able to cross the state line once the connector route is opened, they will still have to have permits to ride the respective trail systems. For example, riders of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system will have to have a permit to ride the Spearhead Trail system when they cross into Virginia. And riders of the Spearhead Trail system will have to have a Hatfield-McCoy Trail permit when they cross the state line into West Virginia. The hope of trail officials is that the new connector route will allow ATV riders to ride seamlessly from one trail system to the next. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Trail anticipating 3 to 5 percent increase in ridership
bramwell — Officials with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail are anticipating a 3 to 5 percent increase in ridership this year. The spring ATV tourism season is already underway with April and May being two of the biggest ridership months on the trail, according to Hatfield-McCoy Trails Authority Executive Director Jeff Lusk. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail system extends through nine Southern West Virginia counties. Its trailhead in Mercer County is located near the town of Bramwell. Lusk said the goal of the trail authority this year is to sell 95,000 ridership permits. 'We believe we are going to see a 3 to 5 percent increase in permit sales this year, and that will break us into hitting 95,000 permits,' Lusk said. 'That would be a new high for us.' The trail authority had hoped to reach that milestone in 2024, but then the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the region toppling thousands of trees and power lines across the area — while also devastating parts of nearby North Carolina. Many of the trail system's riders come from North Carolina, but after Helene devastated parts of that state, the ATV tourists from North Carolina were forced to cancel their fall reservations after sustaining storm damage back home. Despite the temporary drop in ridership numbers from North Carolina, the trail authority still ended the 2024 season with an increase in ridership permit sales. 'All of that stuff was out of our control last year,' Lusk said. 'But the resiliency of our lodging providers to get reopened real quickly was great.' April and May, followed by September and October, are four of the most important ridership months for the trail system. That's why when Hurricane Helene hit last year, the fall ridership season was adversely impacted. 'It (the trail system) is really weather dependent,' Lusk said. 'What the weather looks like on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. People on Wednesday make that decision to come based upon that Thursday, Friday and Saturday forecast.' So far this spring, the weather has cooperated and ridership numbers have been impressive, according to Lusk. 'All of our lodges are open, and they seem to be doing really good,' he said. 'The past two weeks have been excellent and we are hoping it will continue.' Lusk said the ultimate goal of the trail authority is to sell 100,000 ridership permits. And he believes the trail system will reach that milestone. 'That is certainly our overall goal,' Lusk said. 'But your next step to that is 95,000.' Lusk said the trail system is off to a 'very good start' with the spring riding season. He predicted that area residents will see more and more ATV traffic in the region in the weeks ahead, particularly as the month of May gets underway. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hatfield-McCoy Trail still making flood repairs
welch — While the Feb. 15 flood didn't force any trail closures, the deluge of water did cause damage to drainage systems along the Hatfield-McCoy system in Southern West Virginia. In fact, officials with the Hatfield-McCoy Trails Authority are still working to make drainage repairs along several of the trails, according to Jeff Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority. Lusk said the winter flood caused damage to parts of the multi-county trail system, while snow and ice from a colder than normal winter caused problems on other trails. 'We had over $160,000 in damage on the trails primarily with the drainage system we put in,' Lusk said. 'The culverts we put in couldn't handle the volume of the rains.' The Feb. 15 flood was caused by a combination factors, including a torrential rainfall on that day, melting snow and grounds that were already saturated from previous storms. Lusk said all of the trails remain open, but crews are still working on 'long-term repairs' to the drainage system. The Feb. 15 flood was declared a federal disaster by President Donald Trump. The last day for residents impacted by that flood to apply for federal disaster assistance with FEMA is April 28. McDowell County, in particular, was hit very hard by the flood. As a result, the trail system in McDowell County was among those where the drainage system was overwhelmed by the volume of water. Lusk said the ongoing repairs will likely continue into the summer months. Snow and ice was more of a problem along the Pocahontas trail system in Mercer County, according to Lusk. 'Our whole system got hit, but it got hit by different kinds of weather,' Lusk said. 'Most of the ice damage was Mercer. Flooding was McDowell, Logan and Mingo.' Just five months earlier, the trail system was impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, which also adversely impacted ridership from North Carolina — a state that sustained far greater hurricane damage than West Virginia. Although ridership levels from North Carolina dropped for a brief period of time, the trail system still finished the 2024 ridership season with an increase in permit sales. Lusk said he is hoping for good weather from this point forward. 'We feel like we kind of turned the curve after this last flood,' he said. 'All of our lodges are open, and they seem to be doing really good. The past two weeks have been really excellent. And we are hoping it will continue.' Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
